Her father, who was in his 80s, has since died, while her mum, born in October 1935, is so ill she does not know she has been "fleeced" by her daughter.

She was only able to continue living in her care home, in Hull, East Yorks, because social services stepped in to pay her £24,000 unpaid bills.

Beeston was their carer and took control of their bank cards, pass books and five bank accounts.

Her crimes only came to light when her brother Colin Dobson became suspicious.

Matthew Bean, prosecuting, said when Beeston was arrested and interviewed she believed she had "only taken what was going to come to her in due course".

Mr Bean said the offending started in early 2012, when Beeston began using the accounts to buy items from the online catalogue Studio Cards. She spent an initial £7,500 this way, while having "increasing control of her parents'

She got power of attorney in August 2013, and in February 2014, both parents moved into the same care home.

Mr Bean said: "From this time the defendant had complete control over their affairs."

She was also making cash withdrawals while still spending online.

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Christine Beeston pictured outside Hull Crown Court

Mr Dobson obtained joint power of attorney in 2015 and "began making inquiries". He reported what he had discovered to police.

When Beeston was arrested in June 2015 and interviewed, she said she had taken the money so that her brother, who she had fallen out with, would not get any of it in inheritance.

Mr Bean said: "In her view she had only taken what was going to come to her in due course, but she had taken the money before she should have, and by that accepted she had acted against the best interests of her parents."

Mr Dobson, 52, read his victim statement to the court, and called his sister "greedy and devious", while she sat in the dock sniffling and holding her hand to her chest.
"It is very difficult to put into words how this has left me feeling," he said.

Beeston, of Hull, admitted fraud and was jailed for two-and-a-half years at the city’s crown court.

Beeston had not been allowed to contact her parents as a result of her bail conditions, and had only learned of her father's death when she was sent a message of condolence on Facebook, Miss Baines said.

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"She hasn't really even started the grieving process," she said. "She didn't attend her father's funeral because she didn't think she would be allowed to because of the proceedings here and her bail conditions."

Judge Mark Bury said she had behaved "quite appallingly" to her parents when she was supposed to be responsible for their safety and security.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Dobson said: "I would like to say there's no winners in this. She's brought it all on herself."

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